THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Please be seated. Thanks
for coming. Thanks for having me. Laura and I are thrilled to be
here. You know, Steve, when you and I spent all that time in the
library in college -- (laughter) -- never did you think you'd be
introducing a President. Never did you think it would be me.
(Laughter.) I'm proud to be with my old classmate, and I'm proud to be
here to talk about a really important project for this part of the
world. I want to thank you for your stewardship, Steve, and thanks for
introducing me.

Today we're going to take an important new step to enhance the
vitality of this river, and thereby expand opportunities for the people
of the Pacific Northwest. Today I'm announcing that we'll soon begin
deepening 104 miles of the Columbia River Channel from the mouth of the
river on the Pacific to Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.
(Applause.)

By deepening the channel of this river from 40 to 43 feet, we will
create new export opportunities at Columbia River ports, we'll help our
farmers and ranchers, we'll help our manufacturers remain competitive,
we'll protect and restore jobs -- really good paying jobs -- and we'll
help conserve and restore the river ecosystem. This is a vital
project. I'm submitting a $15 million budget amendment to fund the
beginning stages of the Columbia River Deepening Project. What I'm
telling you is we're committed to keeping the Columbia River open for
navigation and trade, and we're committed to keeping America's great
ports open for business. (Applause.)

I thank my friend, Gordon Smith, for his leadership on this
important project. I want to thank Senator Patty Murray from the state
Washington for joining us, and for working on this project, as well.
This project needs bipartisan cooperation, and I want to thank the
Senators from both parties for joining us. I appreciate Congressman
Greg Walden being here, as well. And I want to thank my friend, George
Nethercutt, Congressman from the state of Washington, for joining us,
as well.

I appreciate the Speaker being here. And somebody told me that
former Senator Mark Hatfield is with us today. (Applause.) Senator,
how are you? It's great to see you. (Applause.) You're looking
great. Mrs. Hatfield, how are you? I'll tell Mother, Antoinette,
you're looking good. (Laughter.) So is she. (Laughter.)

I appreciate J.P. Woodley. He's the Assistant Secretary of Army,
the commander and division engineer for this project. I want to thank
Brigadier General Don Riley. He's the director of the civil works of
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer. I appreciate Bob Lohn. It's good to
see Bob again. Last time I saw Bob, we were talking about salmon
restoration. I appreciate you being here. Dave Wesley, the Deputy
Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- David Wesley, the
Deputy Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Listen, this is a project that requires all aspects of government
working together to make sure this happens. I'm not the kind of guy
that likes to stand up and say, this is going to happen, and it doesn't
happen. I'm the kind of person who says, when it's going to happen, it
is going to happen. And that's why these government officials are
here, to hear it clearly from the President, we expect this to go
forward. (Applause.)

I appreciate the representatives from organized labor who are
here. Thank you for coming. Thank you for lending your voice in this
important project. I want to thank the Port of Portland. I want to
thank the farmers and ranchers who are here. I appreciate what you're
doing to feed our country and to help the hungry around the world, as
well. (Applause.)

Ever since President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clarke on an
expedition to the West, the federal government has recognized the
importance of the Columbia River. This is one of America's vital
waterways. It is a key artery of commerce for the Pacific Northwest.
I say, key artery of commerce -- that means it's a key for jobs. We
want people working. When we say artery of commerce, that means it's a
key for job creation, a chance for people to make a living when this
river functions to its maximum potential.

Growers and manufacturers from Oregon and Washington to the Midwest
count on the Columbia's deep-draft shipping channel to get their
products to the Pacific and then to overseas markets. Last year, more
than $15 billion worth of cargo traveled through the Columbia River
ports, including more wheat than America shipped on any other river.
If you're a wheat farmer, that's good news. (Applause.) If you're
somebody who relies upon wheat to sustain your life, that's also good
news.

In all, more than 1,000 businesses, some 40,000 good-paying Pacific
Northwest jobs depend on Columbia River shipping. That's why this
project is so vital.

Columbia River ports have become some of the busiest on the West
Coast, but in recent years, a problem has started to emerge. It seems
like to me those of us in government ought to see problems and figure
out how to solve them, early before it becomes too late. That's really
what we're here talking about, isn't it. The cargo ships that carry
crops and other Pacific Northwest products across the Pacific are
larger than they used to be, and they depend on deeper navigation
waters.

In 1970, the average cargo ship's draft was 25 to 30 feet. Today,
it's from 41 to 45 feet. Yet the depth of this river behind me has
stayed the same, at 40 feet. That's the problem: It's not deep enough
to handle the new ships. And so some shippers are now diverting ocean
traffic away from Portland and toward other ports. Because this river
is too shallow, the port of Portland is at a competitive disadvantage.
Ultimately, that will hurt the ability for people to find work.

With fewer ships coming into the Columbia River ports, farmers and
growers are forced to pay higher transportation costs. That will
affect our farm economy. And the solution is clear: if you want more
vibrant trade, if you want more navigatable rivers, if you want busier
ports, we need to deepen this channel. We need to make it deeper. And
so that's what we're going to do. The engineering work is already
underway, and they'll start moving mud next year. (Applause.)

Deepening the channel by three feet might not sound like a big
change to some folks, but the people here know what it means. The
people who are the experts understand what that extra three feet means
for this mighty river. See, cargo ships will be able to load 300 more
containers than they can now. If they're shipping grain, they'll be
able to carry an extra 6,000 tons. And that's good news for the
farmers.

By working together to deepen the Columbia River Channel we're
helping to save manufacturers and growers an estimated $68 million a
year on the cost of shipping containerized cargo. That helps a lot
when you're competing in a global market, especially if you're an
individual rancher, small business owner, owner of your own farm.

The steps I'm announcing today also fulfill our responsibility to
be good stewards of the land and water. The environmental review of
this project included active participation by interested parties and
the public. Through the collaborative process, they come up with the
solution. It included a thorough analysis by environmental agencies,
and they ruled the dredging safe for the river's ecosystem.

The Army Corps of Engineer will carry out their work under strict
environmental guidelines and monitoring. In fact, this project
includes restoration and conservation measures that go beyond the
requirements of the law. We're installing new technology in the lower
Columbia River to help salmon and steelhead pass through the tide
gates. We'll restore and protect wildlife habitats in tidal
marshes, swamps, and other wetlands. We're seeking out good uses for
the sand dredge from the bottom of the river. All of these efforts
will help us meet a great goal, to leave the Columbia River ecosystem
in better shape than we found it. I'm confident we can achieve that
goal. (Applause.)

The Columbia River Channel Deepening Project is a wise use of
taxpayers' money. It fosters an ethic of cooperation between
Washington, D.C. and state and local governments. It brings together
business leaders and labor representatives, farmers, ranchers, and
conservationists, and politicians on both sides of the aisle. The
project fulfills the government's charge to create the conditions for
economic expansion and job growth by respecting our duties to the
environment.

I'm proud that we're able to move forward with this project after
years of review. I urge the United States Congress to act quickly on
my budget request. (Applause.)

On many other issues from reducing the risk of catastrophic
wildfire, to keeping hydro-power energy rates as low as possible, to
conserving our precious salmon, my administration is working with
Pacific Northwest leaders to meet our shared priorities. I look
forward to working with you in the future to sustain the physical and
economic vitality of this beautiful part of America.